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Updated on
March 15, 2009,
R.C.
asks from Keller, TX
on
February 28, 2009

Legoland?

Has anyone been to Legoland with a preschooler? How many days would you need there? Is April a good time to go? Where to stay? How to get there - fly or drive? And how is travel in California since we have never been. Is there anything else near Legoland to do? Thanks!

Featured Answers

J.F.
answers from Dallas
on
March 02, 2009

Do yo ever watch Jon & Kate Plus Eight? If so, did you ever see the one where they took their kiddos to Legoland? If not, you should download that episode! It was pretty funny and interesting to see how toddlers react to Legoland. The places looks really cool...and I would love to visit there one day myself. Good luck and have a blast!!

More Answers

M.D.
answers from Dallas
on
March 01, 2009

We went a couple of years ago in May with a two year old. We stayed at the Carlsbad Inn and Beach Resort, which was great for us & about 30 minutes from San Diego. We got a great deal, it had a pool and was right on the beach. It had great ammenities and a couple of restaurants on property. Also, we could walk very easily to multiple other restaurants & shops around there. It was right off the highway and about 10 minutes from Legoland. We did: San Diego Zoo, Sea World and the San Diego wild animal park. You can hand feed giraffes there and see animals in there natural habitat. It was amazing and my daughter loved roaring at the lions while touching their paws through the plexi-glass. We missed Legoland but would definitely go there next time. We probably would have skipped Sea World because we can go there in San Antonio. I would stay in Carlsbad, stay a week and try to hit DisneyLand too. I would fly into San Diego. You will have a GREAT time! Feel free to contact me if you have more questions.

I am from San Diego and I have never been to legoland. I heard it is for the younger kids. If you are tight on money, I would highly advise skipping Legoland and going to Disneyland. It is 45 minutes north of Legoland on the 5 freeway. We took my son when he was 4 to Disney and we all had the best time of our lives! We got there when it opened and my son lasted until after 6pm. It was a long day but he loved it. Plus we stayed on Coronado Island and made the drive from there. As long as you are near the 5 you can get about anywhere! I highly recommend staying at the Marriott on the Marina near Seaport Village. The pool is great for kids and there is a lot of things to walk to in the area, including family friendly dining.

I also suggest going to the San Diego Zoo. This is unlike any zoo and it can not be missed. We can watch the Polar Bears for hours! Take the bus ride then decide what you want to see on foot. Have to see the Polar bears, children's zoo, pandas and the elephants! The skyride gives you a nice view of Balboa Park. Make sure you see the beach. They have Sea World but when we want to do Sea World we just do it here in Texas instead of wasting our time there.

I would give each attraction a day. Unless you can devote 2 to Disneyland. Flying is better than driving. The drive is about 24 hours of boredom! You can fly into San Diego or sometimes it is cheaper to fly to Orange County-John Wayne airport and drive down. If you do the second you could spend the night up there and do Disneyland from there. April will be cooler- always foggy until late morning. But the weather is never really that bad in San Diego.

Just remember there is a ton to do just don't drive too far south!!! Have fun!

I grew up in that area and have been to Legoland a handful of times. I suggest you skip Legoland and do Disneyland, the Wild Animal Park in San Diego or San Diego Zoo. Legoland was a big letdown. You can easily get it done in half a day or so. My son was 3.5 when we went and there were very few rides he could go on by himself or even at all. If you are going all the way to CA just go to Disneyland instead.

OMG!! We LOVED Legoland -- it was perfect for kids under 12! My kids were 6, 8 and 9 when we went and it was a BLAST!! We only did one day as we were on a California road trip but it was a lot of fun! ALl the rides are built for kids under 12 so there is nothing too scary. There are lego cars that they can drive - they get a driver's license and everything and ofc ourse they can build with legos too. Everything was built out of legos tehre -- there was a big set up of places all over the world! Definitely fun --w e are going back to CA this summer - but my oldest is 13 so I am not sure if they will want to go or not! It was pricey so look in lego magazines etc for coupons!

Legoland is a fabulous place to visit with young kids -- I went last year with my 4 and 6 year olds and it was the perfect vacation. It was manageable (not so much to do that we felt hurried to do it all) and the rides are very kid friendly. It was not crowded when we went in June and very clean. My 6 year old was able to ride everything, and my 4 year old was only unable to ride 3 rides. So, the park was a great place to spend the day. They have a new aquarium there attached to legoland that just opened. I would think you could easily spend one or 2 days at legoland and 1 day at the aquarium. Have fun!

As others have said, Legoland is alright, but way overpriced. If you're going to drive or fly all the way out there, Disneyland is a much better destination! Sea World is great too, but since there's one of those in San Antonio, we've never bothered to go to the one in San Diego. I agree that June or July is a better time of year to go than April. It's much colder in than you would expect in "Sunny California" for much of the year. When we go to CA, we spend several days in LA - there's Rodeo Drive, the Farmers Market, La Brea Tar Pits, great museums, Sunset and Hollywood Blvds, the Santa Monica Pier ...honestly, I could spend two weeks in LA and not run out of stuff to do (and that's not including things to do without kids, like studio tours and nicer restaurants). After we do LA, we drive down to the Anaheim area and spend 3-4 days at Disneyland, and we'll spend a day or two in the San Diego area. The drive between San Diego and LA isn't too congested if you go in the middle of the day. Have fun, whatever you decide!

I'm from San Diego. Legoland is in Carlsbad, and there are hotels in the area. Some on the coast if you want to visit the beach. The SD Zoo, Sea World are further south, so if you want to go there too, you may want to stay a bit further south. If I had my choice, I wouldn't go in April. I think 70 degrees is wishful thinking...Probably low 60's is more like it. It may also be drizzily, really overcast, foggy, or rainy during that time. We call that time of year May Gray, June Gloom... I'd tend to go more towards June, July..That way you could also enjoy the beach. Keep in mind that all of those theme parks are REALLY expensive. We thought about going to Legoland, and the cost was something like $60/person. I know that Sea World, although worth the money, is right up there. If you go more towards summer, you won't get rained out or be cold.

We did Legoland several years ago when our oldest was 28 months old. It was in March and we had a blast! He really enjoyed it and so did we. It isn't very large. One day is more than enough. We did Legoland one day and Disneyland the next. My husband was out there on business for 3 months so my son and I flew out for a long weekend. Have fun!

Looks like you got a lot of good advice from others but I did want to let you know...be prepared to sit in traffic. Traffic in CA can be horrible. If you stay near the areas of where you'll hit for tourist attractions, then there isn't much to worry about, but if you decide to drive into Los Angeles or anywhere near there, there will most likely be traffic. Good luck and have lots of fun!

We went to Legoland last summer. It's a cool place. My kids are older, they were probably too old, but we still had fun. It's really aimed at 4-9 yr olds. We flew out and rented a car. It wasn't hard to get around at all. We stayed on the beach in San Diego in a rental house for the week. There's all kinds of cool stuff. There's Sea World, LA and Hollywood isn't a far drive and there's a beach in La Jolla with a bunch of cool seals on it. We had a great time! But just be aware, it's cool out there. We went in June and still wore jackets and pants. The ocean is COOOOLLLD!!! We're talking 65-68 degree water!

Hi RC, I lived in CA for 20 years and I have been here in TX for 3 yrs. They have Sea World in San Diego and The San Diego Zoo which is really nice. In April the weather is around 70 to mid 70 degrees and the mornings and nights are a little cold but nothing too bad. I don't know places to stay since like I said before we lived there so we never had to stay anywhere. If you like burgers In-N-Out Burgers are the best and you will be able to find one in every city in CA. Have a Great Time!

We have taken our daughter 2x and she loves it. She has a great time everytime, just as if it was her first. San Diego is a fantastic place to vacation. I don't know about staying there as we have friends/ family in the area so we are always with them, but the traffic is just as any other metro area. I think you can make Legoland a one day trip

The San Diego Zoo is an absolute must see. If you go here, this is at least 2 days. This zoo is absolutely amazing, so much to see and VERY large.

We took our 3 and 8 year olds last July. They both had a blast. We stayed at the Sheraton that is right by Lego land and you have your own private entrance to the park so you can go back to your room for naps! We were at Lego land for 1 1/2 days. It is not that far to drive to San Diego for the Zoo, Balboa Park or Sea World. The Wild Animal Park is also close. Take light jackets, it was cool in July that close to the beach.

We used to live there, though we didn't have kids at the time. Legoland is geared towards younger kids, so it seems like a good time to go with your preschooler, but would continue to be good through early elementary. I would plan one full day at Legoland. It is about halfway between the San Diego and Orange County airport - in Carlsbad. Orange County airport is close to Disneyland and Universal Studios. The water is still pretty cold in April, and it is a little too chilly to sunbathe, but you should dip your tootsies in the ocean in anyways. You might want to do a day at the San Diego Zoo and see the pandas or you can go out east from Carlsbad to the Wild Animal Park where you take a train ride around to see animals grazing in more natural habitats. We also like a little hiking at Torrey Pines. There is lots of good golfing in the area as well. The only time we drove between Texas and California was when we were moving - it is a LONG drive.

I have only been to Legoland in London but 1 day there is plenty. In San Diego there is plenty of other stuff to do. There are tons of rides that are appropriate for young kids at Legoland, last time we went our youngest was 2.5 yo and he got to ride a lot of stuff, of course we had to ride with him.

Do yo ever watch Jon & Kate Plus Eight? If so, did you ever see the one where they took their kiddos to Legoland? If not, you should download that episode! It was pretty funny and interesting to see how toddlers react to Legoland. The places looks really cool...and I would love to visit there one day myself. Good luck and have a blast!!

We use to live in the area. Legoland is designed for younger children, but when we took our 2.5 there weren't too many rides that she was interested in. She did enjoy the lego play area and the various things and towns built out of Lego's through out the park. With a young child I would not plan on more than one day.

Also in the area is the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park near downtown San Diego. And the San Diego Wild Animal Park in Escondido. Both are world class facilities and in my opinion should not be missed.

You also have the beaches and marinas, and can do a harbor cruise. In San Diego we would take our young child to tour the Navy ships and she loves that.

It will possibly be cool and foggy in April. As far as traveling in CA I am not sure what you are asking. Traffic is heavy and congested and so have patience and plan for it. Freeways (called highways in TX) are plentiful and you can get just about anywhere via the Freeway system. There are more Toll Roads popping up but none in that area the last we were aware. Keep in mind that tolls in CA are about 3x what they are here and 10x what they are in NY.